I'm confused and dazed..or is that dazed and confused? Whatever the case may be, I’m in a
quandary. To fully explain the whole
sorry mess I had better go back into the Time Tunnel a bit.
Youghal Heritage Festival 2011
I was born in 1960 and I first began using a camera around
the time I was ten or eleven and have been ‘shooting’ ever since. Through the expensive days of film when buying
the film meant saving pennies. Through the expensive days of saving even more
pennies to then get the prints done. Often
the gap between taking a photograph and seeing if it was worth taking could be
weeks, or even months. Time spent
wondering why the hell I was obsessed with this photography thing. Time spent wondering if I could ever make
money put of this obsession More often than not, about half my efforts would be
ok and are good examples of an art, even decades later.
St. Patrick's Day Parade 2012 in Youghal, Co.Cork.
Then came digital and the whole world of the
photography-obsessed nutcase changed irrevocably forever. Nothing would ever be the same again. However, the arrival of digital cameras also
created another problem, now EVERYONE could take a reasonable photo without
having too much knowledge of the craft.
True, the prices of the early digital models was exorbitant and many
people continued, and still do, to use 35mm and similar stock for many
years. In time though the price of the
average digital camera began to drop, the quality of the cameras increased
expediently and more and more ordinary people began to buy into this new
technology. It’s all good, I have no
problem with every inhabitant of the planet owning and using a digital camera
if they so wish. They are not a luxury,
they are in some cases a necessity, like for recording family events or
historical events. And of course the
“Professional” photographer needs one to carry out his duties across the
globe. Still all good.
St. Patrick's Day Parade 2012 in Youghal, Co.Cork.
In time, film cameras will die out completely and will be only
a memory. I’ll miss them if they go in
my lifetime but that’s progress for you.
And progress it is, no matter what the romantic hold is on a dirty manky
dented Olympus OM10. I did own an Olympus OM10 for a while, they are a
beautiful piece of late 20th century technology and deserve to be
venerated the way they still are.
St. Patrick's Day Parade 2012 in Youghal, Co.Cork.
I’ve now come out of the Time Tunnel and these days am
getting frustrated at the way my photographic efforts are proceeding. It is all down to money. Dirty filthy rotten bloody money!
Money needed in order to keep my family fed and clothed. Money that I need to keep updating my
lenses. Money that I need to keep
changing my camera every few years.
Money to replace storage cards that suddenly dis-integrate when in use,
they do, believe me!
I'm not obsessed with money but I would like to get paid a
few euros now and then for my photographic content. I would like to be asked before the editor of
a “Community Newspaper” publication swipes one of my pics from the online
version of another newspapers edition and prints it themselves. And in the case of that last part, said
“robber” then proudly states on the same page that all photos he publishes in
his “Community Newspaper” are for sale!
Well thanks very much! Glad he is
going to make some money out of the likes of me! I think not.
I'm going to ring enquiring about the latest one of mine he has
“borrowed”, pretend to be some Yank who likes it and ask how much it will cost. Then I will sit back and see if he will try
and track down the owner of the image.
Me.
Youghal Heritage Festival 2011
